The fifth statue of Satoshi Nakamoto goes up in Vietnam

Vietnam has joined the list of nations honoring Satoshi Nakamoto, the anonymous creator of Bitcoin, with the unveiling of a statue in Hanoi today. 

Per local news outlets, the inauguration took place on Tuesday during a ceremony of the country’s first installation of the statue. Vietnam is the fifth nation to host a tribute to Nakamoto after Hungary, Spain, Japan, and the United States. 

Vietnam unveils first Satoshi Nakamoto statue, world’s fifth

The Vietnam Blockchain and Digital Asset Association (VBA) confirmed that the event was staged within the framework of the Blockchain Gallery, a cultural and technological exhibition space. Organizers dubbed the gallery Vietnam’s first public space dedicated to blockchain technology and digital assets, designed to connect art, innovation, and community engagement.

The ceremony came against the backdrop of the Satoshi Vietnam Foundation’s launch, a non-profit inspired by the global satoshi.museum project. According to VBA, the foundation will popularize blockchain technology among young people, support technology startups, and promote social and environmental projects in tandem with sustainable development goals.

Nguyễn Vân Hiền, Vice President and General Secretary of VBA, led the initiative to bring the statue to Vietnam. Speaking at the ceremony, she said the work symbolizes decentralized culture and the Southeast Asian country’s innovation ambitions.

The Hanoi statue is a distinctive version titled the “vanishing” Satoshi, created by Italian artist Valentina Picozzi. The piece has a “disappearing effect” when viewed from different angles, meant to tell the story of Nakamoto’s sudden withdrawal from public life after laying the foundations of Bitcoin and passing its control to a global community.

Picozzi spent 21 months designing and refining the piece to convey the spirit of decentralization and anonymity central to Bitcoin’s origins. 

“It is a work that embodies disappearance, a reminder that Bitcoin was left to the people,” VBA officials explained.

The new figurine adds to the lineage of Satoshi statues around the world. The first and most known statue is the faceless bronze version titled We are all Satoshi, erected in Budapest in 2021. 

It was designed by Hungarian sculptors Réka Gergely and Tamás Gilly, who asserted that the statue represents the face of visitors who stand before it, sending the message that anyone can embody Nakamoto’s vision. 

Vietnam charges on with blockchain adoption

VBA leaders said the project does more than honor Nakamoto because it is also meant to help integrate blockchain into Vietnamese culture. International reports estimate that Vietnam is home to about 17 million digital asset holders, with crypto transactions valued at roughly $105 billion. 

Several of the country’s major financial institutions, including SSI Securities, Techcom Securities (TCBS), and the Military Commercial Joint Stock Bank (MB), are reportedly in talks with regulators to launch subdivisions dedicated to crypto. 

Authorities are also expected to authorize the creation of around five licensed digital asset exchanges that will be linked with international platforms to support approximately 50 tokenized assets.

“Blockchain Gallery proves that blockchain is not just technology but also culture, shaping values in real life,” Hiền said. Trung supported her sentiment, adding that Nakamoto’s story continues to inspire blockchain communities worldwide. 

Alongside bringing the statue to Hanoi, he also linked the unveiling to Resolution 57, a directive issued by Vietnam’s Politburo to encourage innovation and push national digital transformation forward. “This is a concrete step in aligning cultural projects with state policy,” he noted.

In July, Trung revealed on his personal page that the work would be brought to Vietnam at a value of one Bitcoin. Bitcoin had now surpassed $120,000, making the statue worth approximately 3.1 billion Vietnamese dong.

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